LISKEARD Town Council is supporting arts and charitable projects through the awarding of grant funding.

A youth theatre company’s half term production, a concert in aid of the Foodbank, and a local running group are among the recipients who’ll get a combined total of around £1000 in support from the council.

Caradon Youth Theatre will receive £500 towards the hire of the Methodist Church and Public Hall for its forthcoming production ‘The Wind in the Willows’. The show, which will be performed in the Public Hall over the May to June half term, has a cast of 40 local youngsters. Show times of 2pm and 7pm in Liskeard town centre will make the production accessible and affordable to families with young children, and those in the town that don’t drive, says artistic director Nic Early.

Meanwhile, Liskeard’s TICS (Thought I Couldn’t Sing) group is set to receive £120, also towards hire of the Public Hall, for a concert on May 24. Around 20 to 30 schoolchildren will perform alongside the TICS members on the evening, and entry will be not be by paid ticket, but by donation of items to the Liskeard and Looe Foodbank.

The third project to receive some grant funding is Liskeard’s Power Runs Cornwall – a social running group with an ever-growing membership. Leader Sandra Haynes applied for £350 which will be used to put a third volunteer run leader through the England Athletics training, and for discounted T-shirts for new members who have recently joined.

“Power Runs Cornwall is a local community-based group that believes running or jogging is more fun, and easier to become part of your lifestyle, when shared with others,” said Sandra.

“The group promotes physical, social and mental wellbeing through exercise and social interaction. Power Runs Cornwall is all about community, friendships and the opportunity to experience running in a way that interests the individual.”

The group meets twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, and offers different sorts of sessions: beginners, improvers, and ‘Jeffing’ (walk-running combination)

Liskeard town councillors who met last week were happy to agree these three applications, but they’ve deferred a decision on a request from the Sterts Theatre for £5000. Sterts has applied for the cash to be put towards a £55,000 community theatre production ‘The Beast of Bodmin Moor’ which it plans to stage in 2024. In its application it says people from the Liskeard community will be involved as performers, production team members and volunteers, and that the show will continue the theatre’s 40-year history of local community productions. Sterts says it’s applied to other sources of funding as well, and that it would be grateful for any amount of support up to the amount requested.

“Our specific focus will be on engaging young people in this area of social deprivation, giving them access to the arts that they otherwise would not have the chance to experience,” said Sterts director Peter Woodward.

“We are looking for £5,000 if possible, but any funding would be greatly appreciated. The funding would be used to pay for production costs such as set and costume, and to support young people’s access to workshops, including transport.”

The Town Council is exercising caution and says that while it does award large grants to exceptional applications, £5,000 would represent half of its grant giving budget for the year. It has asked the theatre to provide more supporting information.